Drum beater



Patented July 4, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DRUM BEATER Manny Goldrich, Hewlett, N. Y., assigner to William D. Gladstone, New York, N. Y.

5 Claims.

This invention relates to musical instruments, and more particularly to wire brushes, sometimes referred to as jazz drum switches.

The wire brush is used with the drum or cymbal to obtain patter and swish-like sound effects. It comprises a tubular handle having at one end a plurality of thin gauge steel wires which spread out in the manner of a ian and are fastened to a clip or lug seated within and slidable along the length of the handle. For adjusting the spread oi the wires, there is provided a metal rod which is iixedly connected at one end to the lug in the interior of the handle. The other end of the rod terminates in a loop or a ball located outside the handle to enable the rod to be easily grasped by the hand and moved along the longitudinal axis cf the handle, thereby permitting adjust-- ment of the eiiective length and the spread of the wires.

A diiliculty experienced with known types or wire brushes is caused by undesired changes in adjustment of the wires during usage, due to inadvertent movement of the rod. This is due to the lack of means for locking the rod in dii rent positions of use.

The present invention overcomes the foregoing diiiiculty.

According to the invention, the loop at the free end of the slidable rod is arranged to form a fastening element which cooperates with any :n

selected one of several aligned holes in the tubular handle for xedly positioning or locking the rod in a desired position, to thereby obtain a desired spread of the wires from the brush. The loop is slightly longer than the dimension necessary to form a one-turn fold, and the free end of the loop terminates in a drop pin which, due to the spring-like construction of the loop, may be arranged to fall into any one oi several holes .suitably aligned in the handle, in accordance with the wishes of the user. When the drop pin falls into a selected hole in the handle, the rod is relatively iixedly positioned on the handle until released by the user. It will thus be seen that the invention prevents inadvertent movement of the rod during usage of the brush.

A more detailed description oi the invention follows in conjunction with a drawing wherein:

Figs. l and 2 show one embodiment of the invention, partially in section, with different adjustments of the locking device to obtain different spreads of the wires; and

Fig. 3 shows a modification of the locking device for the wire brush of the invention.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, there is shown a wire brush or jazz drum switch comprising a tubular handle Ill, preferably of elliptical crosssection; a plurality of fine quality, thin gauge, rust-proof piano steel wires I I held together at one end by a metallic lug or clip l2; and an adjustment rod i3 having one end secured to the clip I2 and the other end terminating in a metallic loop I 5.

The lug or clip l2 is crimped to hold the steel wires rmly and is slidable along the interior of se handle in response to movement of the rod I3.

The handle I0 essentially comprises a tubular sleeve which may be of any suitable material such as metal or plastic. If desired, the end of he sleeve farthest removed from loop I5 may be flared as shown.

The loop I5 is folded back upon itself and is provided with an extension piece lt. rThe end of the extension piece I' is bent to form a pin Il which may be straight as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 or V-shaped as shown in Fig. 3. This pin ie adapted to fall into any one of several spaced holes I3 arranged along a small portion of the length of the handle preferably near the loop I5 as shown.

The construction of the metallic loop I5 is preferably such that it acts as a spring which normally exerts pressure on the pin Il in a direction toward the holes I 8. These holes in he handle are sulliciently large to accommodate the pin. In order to release the pin Il from any one hole in which it may be resting, it is only necessary to squeeze the loop, as a result of which the extension I 6 and pin Il are drawn away from the handle lll in a direction at right angles to the length of the handle.

When the pin I'I is in one of the holes I8, it acts to lock the rod I3 and wires I I in a Xed position which cannot be changed unless the pin il is raised and the loop I5 moved.

Fig. 1 shows the position of loop I5 for an adjustment of minimum spread of the wires II. It should be noted that the pin I'I is in the hole nearest the loop I5. Fig. 2 shows the position of loop I5 for an adjustment of maximum spread of the wires II. In Fig. 2, the pin I'I is in the hole farthest away from loop I5. For positions of loop I5 intermediate those shown in Figs. l. and 2, there will be intermediate adjustments of spread of the wires I I.

The spaced holes I8 in the handle IB have been shown on a straight line and relatively few in number. It will be understood that this straight line arrangement is not essential in the the rubber sheath should have holes registering with the holes I8 in the handle so as to permit entry of the pin I7.

The term depression used in the appended claims is deemed to include a hole or a dent in v the handle.

I claim: l

1. A musical instrument comprising' a Wire brush having a tubular handle, a plurality of wires adapted to protrude from one end of the handle, a rod fastened to one end of said Wires for adjusting the eiectve length and spread of the Wires, said rod terminating in a loop externally of said handle at its other end, said loop having an extension adapted to extend over that end of the handle nearest said loop, said handle having spaced depressions into which the end of said extension may rest for locking said rod and wires in a selected position.

2. A musical instrument comprising a wire brush having a tubular handle, a plurality of Wires adapted to protrude from one end of the handle, a rod fastened to one end of said Wires for adjusting the effective length and spread of the wires, said rod terminating in a loop externally of said handle at its other end, said loop having an extension adapted to extend over that end of the handle nearest said loop, said handle having spaced depressions into which the end of said extension may rest for locking said rod and wires in a selected position, said loop being so constructed and arranged that it acts as a spring .exerting pressure on said extension in a direction toward said depressions.

3. A musical instrument comprising a Wire brush having a tubular handle, a plurality of Wires adapted to protrude from one end of the handle, a rod fastened to one end of said Wires for adjusting the effective length and spread of the wires, said rod terminating in a loop externally of said handle at its other end, said loop having an extension adapted to extend over that end of the handle nearest said loop, said handle having holes spaced in a straight line along a, portion of the handle nearest said loop into which the end of said extension may rest for locking said rod and Wires in a selected position, said extension having an end bent at an angle to the extension, said loop being so constructed and arranged that it acts as a spring exerting pressure on said extension in a direction toward said holes.

4. A musical instrument comprising a Wire brush having a tubular handle having spaced holes near one end thereof, a, plurality of wires adapted to protrude from the other end of the handle, a rod fastened to one end of said wires in the interior of said handle for adjusting the effective length and spread of the wires, said rod terminating in a grasping surface located externallyV and at that end of the handle Which is provided with said holes, and resilient means associated with said grasping surface and extending over the exterior of said handle, said resilient means being provided with an angular extension at its end for entering one of said holes.

5. A jazz drum switch having a tubular handle having openings at both ends and provided With spaced holes along a portion of the length thereof, a plurality of wires adapted to protrude from one end of said handle, and means for limiting the movement of said wires comprising a resilient wire member entering the other end of the handle and attached to said Wires, said Wire member having an end external of said handle bent at an angle and adapted to enter one oi said holes.

MANNY GOLDRICH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of recordin the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 696,125 Whitaker Mar. 25, 1902 1,382,042 Wright June 21, 1921 1,484,230 Northrup Feb. 19, 1924 1,744,483 Meyer Jan. 21, 1930 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 270,211 Great Britain May 5, 1927 

